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No. 2, Braxton Miller: Ranking the best Ohio State Buckeyes of 2013

Braxton Miller laughs off NFL questionsOhio State quarterback Braxton Miller laughed off questions about potentially leaving for the NFL, saying Wednesday night he hadn't thought about it at all. He also talked about his place in Ohio State history.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Kenny Guiton made you feel secure when he was called upon to start in place of an injured Braxton Miller, and Guiton was good enough that Ohio State never missed a beat with its starting quarterback on the bench.

And because Guiton never looked vulnerable all season – not even once – he served his role as the backup quarterback perfectly. Perhaps too perfectly.

Because while Miller was gone, many forgot why Miller made this Ohio State team a national contender. To this day, there are some that think Guiton should have remained the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback.

But for me, I never forgot – which is why I voted Miller No. 1 on the list of most important Buckeyes. And it’s also why I am confused as to how my colleagues, Doug Lesmerises and Zack Meisel, didn’t also think Miller was the best Ohio State player.

We’ll get into the debate more once we reveal No. 1 tomorrow, but we continue our countdown of most important Buckeyes with Ohio State’s starting quarterback.

View full sizeBraxton Miller accounted for 33 total touchdowns in his junior season. Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer

Recruiting rating: Miller has turned out to be a superstar in college, but that was never a surprise given his recruiting rankings. Rated by Rivals.com a four-star prospect and the No. 1 quarterback in the 2011 recruiting class, Miller chose Ohio State over offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Tennessee, USC, Wisconsin and many others.

2013 stats: In 11 games, Miller completed 146-of-231 pass attempts for 1,860 yards and 22 touchdowns. Miller completed 63.2 percent of his passes and threw only five interceptions. On the ground, Miller was Ohio State’s second-leading rusher with 1,033 yards and he scored 10 more touchdowns as a rusher. In all, Miller accounted for 2,893 all-purpose yards and 33 touchdowns despite missing nearly three full games with a sprained knee.

What went right: Miller again was one of the most electrifying players in college football, and he had that unique ability to spark a team’s confidence with one big play. Miller improved as a passer and was completing nearly 70 percent of his throws for much of the season, and limiting himself to only five interceptions shows he was a much better decision maker. Sometimes as athletes who play quarterback develop into better passers, their inherent ability to run begins to fade. That didn’t happen to Miller, who showed incredible athleticism while rushing for 1,000 yards – many of which were gained after making defenders look silly.

But what Miller should be most proud of is the efficiency in which he’s helped Ohio State win games. After not losing at all as a starter in 12 games last year, Miller had the Buckeyes in the thick of a national championship race as a junior. Miller has now lost only one game since his freshman season, and sometimes there’s just something to be said about a quarterback who wins games.

What went wrong: Miller was a preseason favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, but an injured knee at the beginning of the year caused him to miss nearly four full games. Though he returned to a team that was still unbeaten – thanks in large part to Guiton – Miller was sidelined for enough time where he would no longer be able to accumulate the statistics to be considered for college football’s most coveted trophy.

Miller played well enough to start earning a little more consideration by the end of the year, but the injury paid a big toll. Which brings up the other thing that went wrong – in his second game back as Ohio State’s starter at Northwestern, Miller played poorly enough where Urban Meyer said after the game that he considered subbing Guiton in. That sparked a quarterback controversy that lasted for the following few weeks until Miller fully regained his legs.

Looking at 2014: Miller is going to be playing football next year, but it’s not quite clear whether that will be at Ohio State or in the NFL. Both Meyer and offensive coordinator Tom Herman said they think Miller will successful in the NFL eventually, they both also said he needs more seasoning. Miller grew as a passer in his junior season, but he didn’t have a meteoric rise that made him an unquestionable professional prospect. Ohio State’s Orange Bowl matchup with Clemson could go a long way in determining whether the Buckeyes will need to groom a new quarterback in 2014.

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